Visits of artists across borders are a healthy sign and I hope to see the day when India and Pakistan exist as friends
HYDERABAD: It was a really pleasant experience to hear and see the veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and his daughter Pooja Bhatt, who herself is an actor and producer, in Karachi. Both of them were given a warm welcome at the National Academy of Performing Arts. Mr Bhatt was of the opinion that both countries, India and Pakistan, need to step forward to eliminate distances and that he will advocate and support any cultural activity that aims at doing so. He pointed out that Indian actors figure in a big way in the lives of the Pakistani people, while Indian channels also show Pakistani dramas.
Sometime back, the award-winning Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah was also invited to Pakistan by the Oxford University Press for the launch of his autobiography. Listening to Mr Shah, I came to the conclusion that the commonly held view of all these artists is that both India and Pakistan have much in common, and we must relish and enjoy our sameness. People on both sides of the border have been victims of political gimmicks. The visits of artists across borders are a healthy sign and I hope that I would live to see the day when India and Pakistan exist as friends.
Nasiruddin Soomro
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2015.
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